Fencing Referee Clinic
The comic page will be up a little late this week, but I’ll get it up as soon as possible. I had the privilege this weekend of attending a fencing director’s clinic given by the esteemed Derek Cotton of the Fencing Officials Commission (FOC). Derek is not only a highly knowledgeable referee but also an entertaining speaker. Unfortunately I found out quickly that this was not to be a test-prep lecture. In addition, my strategy of studying the rulebook systematically and waiting until the week before the test to start with the study guide proved faulty. But as I was told by many others, most of whom were simply there to get their annual requirement fulfilled, the test is designed not to pass the first time. So really, it’s less of a test of what you know than a “teaching” test. I will admit however that knowing the penalty chart a little better will help. I’ll be ready for the next attempt, and hopefully I can share some more useful study techniques.
This was also my first time at Mid-South Fencer’s Club. This club has a great coffeehouse feel (besides the upstairs coffeehouse) that makes it a place you want to hang out in. With exposed brick walls and artwork by owner Matt Cox, it’s the kind of club you’d want if you had your own club. It doesn’t hurt that it has air conditioning, either, a boon if you understand how hot and humid North Carolina can be in the summer. Matt and Jen were very hospitable and I’m looking forward to attending a tournament (and re-taking my exam) there in the future.
After observing the practical portion of the lecture on Sunday, I swung by the N.C. Museum of Art on the way home for some inspiration. My usual method of going through a museum, is to walk by every piece stopping only at the ones that catch my eye or leave me with a question which can only be answered by closer observation or reading the placard. While I admire the obsession with detail of the Renaissance masters but I look at them much like I look at classical fencing; pretty, but inert. For representational art I prefer the more graphic look of medieval icon paintings, ancient Egyptian reliefs and more primitive styles of illustration. Modern art in contrast to classical reduces form to the basic details without sacrificing feeling or sense of motion. My goal as an artist, particularly as a graphic artist, is to find a way to express in line and color a representational image without losing the big picture; the heart and feeling of the subject. As those readers who fence understand, fencing is all about heart, a fact that I hope you will come to appreciate throughout the course of my story.
Update: Photo added for your enjoyment!
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